Self-holding wrench



1966 1. w. OSBURN ETAL 3,277,749

SELF-HOLDING WRENCH Filed March 29, 1965 INVENTORS /5AAC W Ga a/w, WALTER E. 0554/2 50mm 0. OBQ/AA/ ATTORNEY United States Patent O 3,277,749 SELF-HOLDING WRENCH Isaac W. Osburn, 13720 Gardenland, Belltlower, Calif, and Walter E. Osburn, 11804 Ramrock Drive, La Mirada, Calif.

Filed Mar. 29, 1965, Ser. No. 443,332 4 Claims. (Cl. 81-53) This invention is directed to a self holding wrench, and particularly to a wrench having two separate sets of wrenching surfaces which are arranged to engage two different surfaces of a part wherein these two different surfaces are arranged to be rotated with respect to each other. The different wrenching surfaces are inter-connected in such a manner that such a relative rotation thereof can be obtained.

In the plumbing arts it is often necessary to hold a valve body while tightening up a clamp nut thereon. Quite often these valve bodies must be secured to the ends of tubing which are located in relatively inaccessible positions. Thus, it is difficult to reach and grasp both the valve body and the tube clamp nut with conventional tools. Such valve bodies are arranged in such a manner that conventional tools may grasp the body, and the nut is generally of hexagonal shape so as to be also easily engaged. However, since this operation must be often performed underneath a sink or within cabinet structure, it is difiicult to reach and thus it is desirable that a unitary tool structure which can grasp the appropriate parts and move them in the necessary direction from a remote location is very desirable.

Accordingly, it is an object of this invention to provide a self holding wrench which is adapted to engage two separate parts which are to be rotated relative to each other and to rotate these parts by operation of a portion of this self holding wrench remote from the parts.

It is another object of this invention to provide a self holding wrench which is particularly adapted to engage a valve body and a clamp nut rotatably mounted upon the valve body and to provide for relative rotation of these parts from a position remote therefrom.

It is a further object of this invention to provide .valve body grasping means and nut grasping means, and to provide relatively long actuating members on these grasping means, the actuating members being arranged to move about a common axis which corresponds to an axis of the valve body and nut so that proper rotation thereof is obtained. I

It is another object of this invention to provide a long handled self holding wrench which engages two separate parts, and to provide retraction means for at least one of the engaging surfaces so that the wrench structure can be disengaged after relative rotation of the parts has been completed.

Other objects and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a study of the following portion of this specification, the claims and the attached drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a side elevational view of the long handled self holding wrench of this invention;

FIG. 2 is an enlarged left end elevational view thereof;

FIG. 3 is an enlarged section taken along the line 33 of FIG. 1; and

FIG. 4 is an enlarged partial sectional view taken generally along the line 4-4 of FIG. 1.

As an aid to understanding this invention it can be stated in essentially summary form that-it is directed to a long handled self holding wrench. The wrench is particularly adapted for the tightening of a valve upon tubing in a restricted location such as is found under a kitchen or bathroom sink. In these cases, the water supply tubing is cut off closely adjacent the wall surface and a shutoff valve must be installed thereon to control the water supply. In such tubing applications, the shutoff valve comprises a body with an integral tube fitting thereon. The tube fitting also includes a nut which must be tightened in order to clamp and seal the tube with respect to the valve body. The nut must be rotated upon its axis, which axis corresponds generally to the axis of the tubing and the axis of the valve body, while the valve body is held in proper orientation for completion of the connection of the water supply.

Holding of the valve body is accomplished by means of wrenching surfaces particularly adapted to engage upon the valve body and an extension shaft connected to these wrenching surfaces so that holding may be accomplished from a remote location. Rotation of the nut with respect to the valve body is accomplished by means of wrenching surfaces suitable for engagement with a nut and a drive shaft connected to these wrenching surfaces. The drive shaft is rotatably mounted upon the extension shaft. The extension shaft is positioned generally upon the axis of the valve body so that the drive shaft rotates about this axis. The drive shaft extends also to the remote position so that the nut can be conveniently rotated from this position.

The nut wrenching surfaces are mounted with respect to the drive shaft in such a manner that they may be retracted, and such retraction is effected also from the remote position. Thus, after completeion of tightening, the nut wrenching surfaces are retracted away from the nut and away from the axis so that the valve body engaging wrenching surfaces may also be removed from the valve body.

This invention will be understood in greater detail by reference to the following portion wherein the drawings are described in detail. Referring now to FIG. 1, the long handled self holding Wrench is generally indicated at 10. Wrench 10 has extension shaft 12 to which it has connected holding handle 14. Holding handle 14 is preferably connected to the right hand end of extension shaft 12 by means of ratchet construction such as is normally found in conventional ratchet drivers. The end of extension shaft 12 which carries handle 14 is identified as the handle end of the shaft. The other end of extension shaft 12 carries wrenching means 16 and thus is the wrenching end of the shaft.

Wrenching means 16 comprises Wrenching members 18 and 20 which are in the form of fingers which extend forward from boss 22 on the wrenching end of shaft 12. Wrenching members 18 and 20 have wrenching surfaces 24 and 26 which are adapted to engage around body 28 of valve 30. Wrenching members 18 and 20 are also connected by yoke 32 which has legs 34 and 36. Yoke 32 is closed by web 38 and yoke 32 serves to strengthen wrenching members 18 and 20 as well as providing guide by web 38 to aid in mounting the wrenching surfaces in correct orientation with respect to body 28.

Valve 30 is provided with an oval handle 40 and the opening between wrenching surfaces 24 and 26 is adequate to accept this oval handle when it is turned in the proper orientation. This orientation is when the long axis of the oval is parallel to the side port 42 of valve 30. It is to be noted that yoke 32 is preferably formed integrally with wrenching members 18 and 20, as is best shown in FIGS. 1 and 2. Thus, the wrenching surfaces 24 and 26 extend along the inner surfaces of legs 34 and 36. The inner surfaces of these legs engage upon side port 42, as well as upon portions of the remainder of the body, so as to be able to fully rotationally constrain valve 30. However, the open side of yoke 32 permits entry and exit of the valve with respect to the holding position. The holding position, as is best seen in FIGS. 1 and 4, includes the positioning of valve 30 substantially upon the axis of extension shaft 12. From this construction as can be clearly seen that rotation of extension shaft 12 causes rotation of valve 30 upon its axis.

Bearings 44 and 46 are rotatably mounted upon extension shaft 12 and are arranged so that there is no substantial axial motion with respect to extension shaft 12. Bearing brackets 48 and 50 are respectively secured to bearings 44 and 46. Bearing brackets 48 and 50 are also secured to drive shaft 52 so that drive shaft 52 is rotatable about the axis of extension shaft 12. Drive shaft 52 is positioned sufiiciently far from wrenching means 16 so that it does not interfere therewith. Thus, drive shaft 52 can rotate about extension shaft 12 without any interference, except for the possible engagement with holding handle 14. Holding handle 14 is preferably of ratchet drive structure so that it may be readily moved out of the way, if necessary. The outer end, or drive end of drive shaft 52 carries drive handle 54 pivoted thereon at an axis at right angles to the axis of drive shaft 52. Thus, drive handle 54 may be swung to several different positions. Drive handle 54 has an extension tube 56 positioned thereon. Rivet 58 extends through a slot in drive handle 54 so that extension tube 56 can be moved out to the extension position shown to provide maximum rotative torque for driving drive shaft 52 about the axis of extension shaft 12.

The wrenching end of drive shaft 52 has a transverse opening 60 which is arranged to be substantially radial with respect to the axis of extension shaft 12. Wrench 62 has shank 64 which is slidably positioned within opening 60. Wrench 62 has jaws 66 and 68 which have wrenching surfaces therebetween particularly adapted to engage upon the external hexagonal surfaces of nut 70. Wrench 62 is preferably in the form of a conventional open end wrench provided with a suitable shank 64 of uniform cross section able to properly fit and slide within opening 60. Wrench 62 is positioned just beyond the end of wrenching means 16 so that it properly engages upon the nut 70 when valve 30 is positioned within the wrenching means 16. As is illustrated in the drawings, during wrenching operation, wrench 62 is positioned so that its jaws are arranged around the axis of extension shaft 12 so that they properly engage the nut.

The position of wrench 62 with respect to drive shaft '52 is controlled by retraction lever 72. Retraction lever 72 is pivoted upon drive shaft 52 on pivot 74. Retention lever72 engages in an opening in the end of shank 64 so that the position of retraction lever 72 controls the position of wrench 62. Stop 76 is secured to retraction lever 72 on the handle side of pivot 74. Stop 76 engages through a suitable hole in drive shaft 52 and has a head which limits the counterclockwise deflection of retraction lever 72 about its pivot 74, as is seen in FIG. 1. Compression spring 78 is positioned around the shank of stop 76 and is engaged between the handle end of retraction lever 72 and drive shaft 52 so as to urge retraction lever 72 in the counterclockwise direction around its pivot. Spring 78 and stop 76 operate together to urge wrench 62 to the position shown in the drawings. tion of the handle end of retraction lever 72 compresses spring 78 and moves the jaws 66 and 68 of wrench 62 away from the axis of extension shaft 12 and away from nut 70 so that the Wrench may be removed from the tightened structure.

In use, valve is placed upon the end of a tube suitably prepared to receive the valve. Thereupon the wrench 10 is placed upon the valve so that wrenching surfaces 24 and 26 engage around the body of the valve and jaws 66 and 68 engage around the nut of the valve. Alternatively, the valve can be first placed within the jaws defined by yoke 32 and wrenching surfaces 24 and 26, and within the jaws 66 and 68. When so positioned, the valve is thrust on to the end of the tube by means of manipulation of the wrench 10. In either event, the valve 'is placed upon the end of a tube and the wrench 10 is po- Manual operasitioned around it in order to be ready to tighten the nut with respect to the valve body.

Such tightening is then aizcomplished, preferably by first rotating extension shaft 12 by means of operation of holding handle 14. Since holding handle 14 is a ratchet connected structure, several turns thereof can be accomplished without interference with drive shaft 52. During this turning, drive shaft 52 is held stationary by holding of drive handle 54. When valve 30 is approaching its desired orientation, and nut is approaching tightness thereon, holding handle 14 is held stationary and tightening is completed by manual operation of drive handle 54, in the counterclockwise direction, as viewed from the wrench holding end. This action finally tightens the nut upon the valve body so that the installation is complete. Removal of the wrench from the valve is accomplished by manual actuation of the handle end of retraction lever 72 so that wrench 62 is removed from nut 70. Thereupon drive shaft 32 is rotated about the axis of extension shaft 12 until the open sides of yoke 72 and wrench 62 correspond, as is shown in FIG. 2. With this orientation, wrench 10 can be removed from valve 30.

It is to be noted that all tightening operations operate by rotation substantially about the axis of extension shaft 12 and this corresponds to the axis of valve 30 and the tube when the tightening is in process. Furthermore, it can be seen that all manual operations can be easily accomplished remotely from the valve itself so that the valve can be installed and tightened in an inaccessible location and that such installation can be done quickly and readily.

This invention having been described in its preferred embodiment, it is clear that it is susceptible to numerous modifications and embodiments within the skill of the routine artisan and without the exercise of the inventive faculty. Accordingly, the scope of this invention is defined by the scope of the following claims.

We claim: 1. A self holding wrench, said self holding wrench comprising:

an extension shaft rotatable upon an axis, first wrenching surfaces secured to said extension shaft and fac ing said axis, drive means secured to said extension shaft and arranged to rotate said first wrenching surfaces and said extension shaft about said axis;

bearing means on said extension shaft, a drive shaft secured to said bearing means so that said drive shaft is rotatable around said extension shaft and around said axis, a drive handle mounted on the end of said drive shaft, said drive handle being operable to rotate said drive shaft about said extension shaft and about said axis;

wrenching means movably mounted upon said drive shaft, said wrenching means having second wrenching surfaces thereon, said wrenching surfaces being positionable around said axis adjacent said first wrenching surfaces and being positionable away from said axis upon movement of said wrenching means with respect to said drive shaft, manually operable control means mounted on said drive shaft and connected to said wrenching means, said manually operable control means controlling the position of said wrenching means with respect to said axis.

2. The self holding wrench of claim 1 wherein said extension shaft drive means comprises a manually operable ratchet handle.

3. The self holding wrench of claim2 wherein said manually operable control means is a retraction lever, and stop means and spring means control the position of said retraction lever so as to control the position of said wrenching means with respect to said axis, said stop,

means being arranged to stop said wrenching means when said second wrenching surfaces thereof face said axis and said spring means being arranged to urge said wrenching 3,277,749 5 6 means to the stop position wherein said second wrenching References Cited by the Examiner surfaces face said axis, said stop means and said spring UNITED STATES PATENTS means permitting manual actuation of said retraction 1 t f d 1,406,824 2/1922 Dennis 81-55 if ffi fjf gf wrenchmg Sur aces are move 5 1,426,682 8/1922 Snell 8155 4. The self holding wrench of claim 3 wherein said 2,752,809 7/1956 Lehman" 8155 first wrenching surfaces are adapted to engage a portion of a water valve and said second wrenching surfaces are WILLIAM FELDMAN Prlmary Examiner adapted to engage another portion of the water valve. J. L. JONES, 111., Examiner. 

1. A SELF HOLDING WRENCH, SAID SELF HOLDING WRENCH COMPRISING: AN EXTENSION SHAFT ROTATABLE UPON AN AXIS, FIRST WRENCHING SURFACES SECURED TO SAID EXTENSION SHAFT AND FACING SAID AXIS, DRIVE MEANS SECURED TO SAID EXTENSION SHAFT AND ARRANGED TO ROTATE SAID FIRST WRENCHING SURFACES AND SAID EXTENSION SHAFT ABOUT SAID AXES; BEARING MEANS ON SAID EXTENSION SHAFT, A DRIVE SHAFT SECURED TO SAID BEARING MEANS SO THAT SAID DRIVE SHAFT IS ROTATABLE AROUND SAID EXTENSION SHAFT AND AROUND SAID AXIS, A DRIVE HANDLE MOUNTED ON THE END OF SAID DRIVE SHAFT, SAID DRIVE HANDLE BEING OPERABLE TO ROTATE SAID DRIVE SHAFT ABOUT SAID EXTENSION SHAFT AND ABOUT SAID AXIS; WRENCHING MEANS MOVABLY MOUNTED UPON SAID DRIVE SHAFT, SAID WRENCHING MEANS HAVING SECOND WRENCHING SURFACES THEREON, SAID WRENCHING SURFACES BEING POSITIONABLE AROUND SAID AXIS ADJACENT SAID FIRST WRENCHING SURFACES AND BEING POSITIONABLE AWAY FROM SAID AXIS UPON MOVEMENT IF SAID WRENCHING MEANS WITH RESPECT TO SAID DRIVE SHAFT, MANUALLY OPERABLE CONTROL MEANS MOUNTED ON SAID DRIVE SHAFT AND CONNECTED TO SAID WRENCHING MEANS, SAID MANUALLY OPERABLE CONTROL MEANS CONTROLLING THE POSITON OF SAID WRENCHING MEANS WITH RESPECT TO SAID AXIS. 